Ambushing the Lion

After glancing at the tennis ball parked outside the court, Muneyoshi's five-dimensional data belonging to Tachibana Kippei began to fluctuate in his mind again.

"Its strength has increased by more than 30%, and its speed has also increased by 15%! The Beast Aura, Rampaging Mighty Lion —it's definitely got something."

Having personally catalyzed the current Rampaging Mighty Lion state, Muneyoshi's understanding of this Aura Path has reached a new level.

This aura is indeed very similar to that of Oni Jūjirō and Natsume Ryūichi.

Compared to Oni Jūjirō's now even more advanced Oni God aura, both are products of their own spiritual will.

However, the difference lies in the fact that the aura condensed from the Asura Path is purer.

However, the Beast Aura from Tachibana Kippei is not pure.

Or rather, his excessive concerns about Tachibana Kippei prevented him from developing an extreme and obsessive personality.

With such a personality, one would certainly be qualified as a teammate and a leader.

But in this idealistic world, that's not enough to reach higher levels.

No madness, no life!

Those who truly stand at the top are all fanatics, obsessed individuals who never give up on a single goal.

They are all people who are willing to give up everything for their dreams.

This is where Tachibana Kippei's personality falls short, and it's hard to make up for it.

Muneyoshi won another game, bringing the score to 4-0.

When it was Muneyoshi's turn to serve, he hit a standard high-speed serve.

For Tachibana, who has entered his "Rampaging Mighty Lion" state, such a serve is no Tachibana Kippei at all.

After unleashing the Rampaging Mighty Lion, he unleashed another powerful Explosive Ball Wild Dance, directly returning the ball to score.

"Too slow, Muneyoshi. Your movements can't keep up with my tennis balls anymore. Move faster!"

Tachibana Kippei could clearly feel his breakthrough, roared excitedly.

"Yeah?"

Muneyoshi smiled slightly, "Tachibana, I've already witnessed your Rampaging Mighty Lion. Now, please open your eyes wide and take a look at my tennis."

As Muneyoshi finished speaking, some of the dark energy that had been dormant within him was suddenly released by Muneyoshi.

Then, the entire stadium seemed to darken, and a purple-black Glowing Flame appeared out of thin air behind Muneyoshi, burning fiercely.

Under the glow of the purplish-black flames, Saeki Muneyoshi's face seemed to vanish into the shadows, making him appear utterly terrifying!

To the astonishment of Tachibana Kippei and Tachibana An, Muneyoshi moved, and several black afterimages suddenly appeared at the baseline of Muneyoshi's backcourt.

That's too fast!

Tachibana Kippei's eyes flickered slightly. His previous assessment of Saeki Muneyoshi's strength was now completely overturned once again.

The moment Muneyoshi unleashed his darkness, his Beast Aura seemed to vanish as if it didn't exist at all, utterly unable to suppress the abyss-like figure opposite him.

Bang!

A streak of purplish-black fire flashed back and forth between the two halves of the court.

"The tennis ball will land here."

Tachibana Kippei, whose dynamic vision was astonishing, sharpened his eyes.

At this moment, he once again raised his focus to the extreme.

Although he couldn't yet clearly see the changes happening to the tennis ball itself, he had to try to predict where it would land.

As he strode forward, Tachibana Kippei charged out like a ferocious lion, his entire racket tinged with a black and red aura.

Thump!

The moment the rackets made contact, a dull thud was heard, and a violent force traveled from the rackets to Tachibana Kippei's wrist.

His expression changed, and he quickly gripped the paddle with both hands, but even so, he felt extremely strained.

A violent tremor came from his wrist, Tachibana Kippei looked up in alarm at the smiling figure opposite him.

Sizzle...

The immense force of the tennis ball nearly tangled his racket and net into a mess.

"Aaaaah! Get... over here!"

Tachibana Kippei's eyes widened in anger, and he roared.

The muscles in his arms bulged beneath his black T-shirt, and the Beast Aura that had enveloped him expanded once more, radiating a terrifying energy.

Boom!

The faint dark aura that had been emanating from the tennis ball was shattered by Tachibana Kippei. The tennis ball was now enveloped in a swirling crimson aura, repelling all air in its path.

In Muneyoshi's vision, the tennis ball seemed to transform into the head of a lion, opening its mouth to roar as it flew towards Muneyoshi.

"The Beast Aura has solidified once more; it seems this method of gradually applying pressure is effective!"

Inspired by Muneyoshi's move, Tachibana Kippei skillfully incorporated a trace of spiritual power into the crimson-black, Beast Aura.

This brought the originally dull, Beast Aura to life, transforming it into a raging lion ready to devour everything in its path.

"This kind of flash of inspiration is one of the most important qualities of a strong person, and while possessing strong creativity, it also embellishes with the sparkle of violent aesthetics."

Muneyoshi raised his gaze and looked at Tachibana Kippei: "Tachibana, your tennis has improved even further."

After saying that, Muneyoshi took a step forward and charged ahead. Then he stomped on the ground and shot high into the air.

Facing the oncoming tennis ball, Muneyoshi did not dodge; wisps of black light appeared on his racket.

Boom!

The racket slammed down hard, and the inertia combined with the enormous force caused the tennis ball to deform.

With the power of the sweet spot, the tennis ball, like a cannonball, hurtled towards Tachibana Kippei's half of the court with unparalleled force.

The powerful force seemed to shake the ground, and the strong wind pressure stirred up dust from the surface.

"Don't even think about scoring!"

After activating Beast Aura Rampaging Mighty Lion state, Tachibana Kippei's aura became even more imposing as time went on, truly resembling a mad lion cornered against a wall, launching another frenzied attack.

This is an extremely aggressive style of tennis, completely oblivious to the concept of defense!

Facing Muneyoshi's powerful shot, he charged forward again.

The immense force tore at his wrists until they turned bright red, but he still held the racket with both hands, stubbornly persisting.

"Exploding... balls... dancing..."

Swish!

"Huff. Huff"

After a difficult comeback, Tachibana Kippei was panting heavily. The match had only gone through five games, but it already felt like he had played several tiebreakers. Sweat was pouring down his body.

His breathing also became rapid.

"Not bad, Tachibana. But you should really work on your stamina."

Seeing that the burst of energy from just a few goals seemed to have exhausted Tachibana Kippei, Muneyoshi on the other side still commented casually.

At the same time, he sprinted toward the several tennis balls that exuded a dangerous aura as he spoke.

"Dark!"

Before rushing into the path of the tennis ball, Saeki Muneyoshi exhaled deeply.

Snap!

With a single, oblique stroke, the entire world was plunged into darkness.

An immense mental pressure instantly descended upon the court, leaving Tachibana Kippei standing there, stunned.

Boom!

Another hole the size of a tennis ball appeared on the hard court floor.

"What... what is this...?"

As the sky returned to normal, Tachibana Kippei noticed a small tennis ball deeply embedded at his feet.

"G... game, Saeki Muneyoshi scores...5 to 0!"

Tachibana An's voice rang out, the entire stadium fell into an eerie silence.

"What was that just now?"

On the umpire's stand, Tachibana An's legs were trembling uncontrollably. If the tennis ball hadn't been flying towards her, she would have jumped back in fright.

At this moment, Muneyoshi finally unleashed his sixth level of strength, using the most basic Darkness technique, which greatly shocked Tachibana Kippei.

That overwhelming, all-consuming will made it difficult for him to even move.

"Saeki Muneyoshi..."

Tachibana An bit her lip. Across from her slightly out-of-breath brother, Saeki Muneyoshi remained completely calm and collected.

It seems that the retaliation just now was nothing more than a casual act.

"This is probably not even his full strength."

Such a thought arose in the minds of both the brother and sister at the same time.

Bang!

Bang!

Then came two more subtle attacks, sending swirling dust billowing across the field.

Occasionally, a flash or two of dark red, ferocious light would streak across the top of the net, followed by a deafeningly loud return shot.

Just a few minutes later.

Bang!

"Saeki Muneyoshi scores, 40-0!"

It's the last ball!

Tachibana Kippei took a deep breath; the pressure Muneyoshi exerted on him was truly astonishing.

It's only February, but his back is completely soaked and his strength is almost exhausted. Even so, he still couldn't get Muneyoshi to use all his strength.

"Muneyoshi, let me see your true strength! Don't hold back!"

Tachibana Kippei struggled to his feet and looked at the figure opposite him, suddenly realizing that there seemed to be no sweat on the other person's forehead.

He knew it was all over, but his pursuit of a higher level of power still compelled him to utter those words.

Upon hearing this, Muneyoshi smiled; this was exactly the kind of Tachibana Kippei he had hoped to see.

Even if you recognize the gap, you still need to witness a greater power.

"Ju, then you just watch..."

Muneyoshi gave the somewhat bewildered lion opposite him a deep look and whispered, "Let's see if you can catch it!"

"The path of breath control, the guidance I offer is far easier than that of 'no self'."

Saeki Muneyoshi's gaze shifted, he watched the incoming ball and reached forward with his left hand.

"Orange, scent, can also be used like that."

Boom!

A dense black light repelled the air, creating turbulent waves on the court. Darkness spread from Muneyoshi's direction, enveloping the entire court, including the referee's bench, in a pitch-black space.

Tachibana Kippei's dark eyes narrowed; in his perception, Saeki Muneyoshi's aura had changed once again!

The darkness was like the beginning of creation.

The vast and powerful dark aura, in its expansion and contraction, directly compressed his Beast Aura back into existence.

Suddenly, a silvery-white light appeared in the dark space, and all the darkness seemed to have found its final destination, converging behind Muneyoshi.

A shadow that looked exactly like Saeki Muneyoshi appeared behind him. The silver-white shadow had its eyes closed and a black katana appeared in its hand.

The next moment.

Tachibana Kippei's pupils contracted slightly as he saw a dark blade of light slashing towards him.

Tachibana Kippei instinctively swung his racket, and in an instant, a terrifying force erupted.

Sizzle!

The ball easily pierced his racket, and even the hard ground was plowed with a deep mark by the impact of the ball.

After witnessing this shot, Tachibana Kippei could no longer hold on and collapsed onto the field.

"So, the difference is actually this big..."

P. S.: I got home late from work last night, so here's a belated chapter as a bonus for missing out on monthly votes. It's not good to keep owing them, so please vote for me in the new month!